Automatic replacing mechanism.



R. C. PENPIELD.

AUTOMATIC RBPLAGING MBGHANISM.

APPLICATION :FILED JAN. 8, 1912.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

7'HE NORRIS PETERS C0., PHOTO-LIHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

3.10. PENFIELD.

AUTOMATIC REPLAGING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1912.

Patented Feb.16,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 4a 44 TME NORRIS PETERS ca. PHOTO-LITHO.. v/AsHlNGroN rv l 1 Y? o Tvvey.

Ri G. PBNFIELD.

AUTOMATIC REPLAGING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.8, 1912.

20w/77mg@ e@ @fam THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTGLITHOA. WASHINGTUN. n C

R. C. PENPIELD. AUTOMATIC RBPLAGING MBCHANISM.

. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. B, 1912. 9,0. Patented Feb.16,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

THE NORRIS PETERS to.. PHOTC-LITHO., WASHINGTON. D. c.

R. G. PBNFIELD.

AUTOMATIC REPLAGING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. B, 1912.

ateuted Feb. 16, 1915.

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'HE NOR/.15 PETA'Q nu.. PHOTO-LITHc.. WASHING TON, D C,

RAYMOND C. PENFIELD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC REPLACING MECHANISM.

Application filed January 8, 1912.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND C. PEN- rmLD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York, in the county of N ew York and State of New York, have invented an improvement in Automatic Replacing Mechanisms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

rlhis invention relates to automatic replacing mechanism, and its object is to providemeans to replace a broken part of a machine automatically and without any in-l tervention on the part of an operator.

An important feature of the invention is to provide mechanism which will replace automatically a broken part of a machine with a new part during the continuous operation of the machine. Preferably such replacing of a broken part is arranged to occur, not only while the machine is continuously running, but so that the output or product of the machine will not be delayed, injured, or impaired. Preferably also an indefinite number of new parts may be continuously or successively supplied and substituted for broken parts without any intervention on the part of an attendant, the invention contemplating the provision of means which is actually and distinctly a'utomatic in such replacing operation.

Also, an important feature of the invention is to provide means to replace the workengaging member or part of a machine, which member or part may become broken during its action upon the work or product of the machine, and toy replace such broken part before it would again be brought into contact with the work, so that there will be no interruption in the even output of the machine.

A further important feature of the invention is that means to automatically replace a broken part will be brought into operation by the breaking of the part to be replaced, and preferably such replacing may be performed during the continuous operation of the machine.

ln carrying out this automatic replacing invention in a preferred embodiment, I have applied it to a machine for use in the manufacture of bricks similar to that shown in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. i6, 1915.

serial No. 670,022.

my U. S. Patent No. 985,203, dated February 28, 1911, and it is a further object of the invention to improve machines of that class. In such brick making machines, an apparatus to operate upon a stream or streams of brick material is employed, which apparatus cuts said material into separate bricks by means of a plurality of cutting wires mounted upon a reel, each wire being independently held in said reel. Frequently during the operation of such machines, these wires break, and, in order to replace such a broken wire, an operator must be in attendance and stop the machine and also the supply stream, remove the broken wire, replace it with a new one, and then start the machine in operation again. Until the attendant notices the damaged condition of the reel, a machine will continue in its operation, but its product will of course be damaged and imperfect. By means of my invention, automatic means is provided which will replace a broken wire during the continuous operation of the machine and thereby save the attendance of an operator, loss of time incident to stopping the machine and the supply stream for the purpose of replacing the broken wires, and insure a perfect and unimpaired output.

A further important feature is that the breaking of a wire upon the cutting reel will actuate automatically the mechanism to re place the broken wire, and if consecutive wires are broken, the replacing device will be successively actuated and new wires will be successively substituted for those broken, during the continuous operation of the machine.

An additional feature of the invention as herein shown is that the replacing of a broken wire will occur while the wire holders are in an inoperative position, and the new wire will be rendered taut before it is brought into operative position for action upon the work.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a machine similar to that shown in my said patent, wherein a preferred form of my present invention is embodied; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the switch-actuating device; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in section, looking to the left on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is an enlarged side view, partly in section, of the cutting reel and the means to switch a wire-holding frame so as to bring it in engagement with the wire-replacing mechanism; and Figs. 5, 6, 7, 3, and 9 are enlarged views of details showing the replacing mechanism and the holder containing the reserve wires.

The general construction and plan of operation of the machine herein illustrated in its action upon a stream of brick material, is similar to that shown in my said patent. Briefly, it comprises the belt 1, which moves to the left as seen in Fig. 1, conveying a stream to the cutting reel, whichcuts said stream into individual bricks, and these bricks are then conveyed away fromthe cutting reel by the belt 3, as more fully described in said patent. The

cutting reel includes circular disks 2, 2,

which carry between them a plurality of radially movable wire gates 4 arranged to slide in slots 5 in said disks. Each gate has, on opposite ends, a horizontally extending stud carrying a roll 6, and each roll is arranged to run in an adjacent cam path 7, suitably secured to the frame of the machine immediately outside of the reel. rThese cam paths, by their action on the rolls 6, during the rotation of the reel, act to move each gate radially in its respective slots 5, so that the cutting wire carried by each gate will properly engage and cut the moving stream into individual bricks as the wires are brought into cutting contact with said stream. The disks 2, 2 of the cutting reel each have a hub 3 threaded onto a shaft 9 appropriately journaled in uprights 10 and 11 forming a part of the frame of the machine. The shaft 9 is rotated by means of a belt pulley 12 at one end, on which pulley is a belt 13 driven by a pulley 14 journaled in the lower part of the machine frame, the pulley 14 being keyed to a shaft 15 having thereon a beveled gear 16 driven by an engaging beveled gear 17 upon the shaft 18, which shaft is actuated by any suitable source of power. The gates 4 herein shown are quite similar to those in my said patent, but the wire-holding bows are of novel construction, as is the rest of the mechanism to be now described.

Each gate 4 has two wire-holding bows 19,19 pivotally mounted at 20, 20 on its upper portion (see Fig. 3), the lower arm of each bow 19 being connected with the lower arm of the other bow by a coiled spring 21.

Upon the upper arm 22 of each bow is a detachable block carrying the lug 23 adapted to hold one end of the cutting wire 24, which wire is preferably formed with a loop at'either end to slip over the lugs 23. The tension of the spring 21 upon the lower arms of the bows holds the wire 24 under the tension of the said spring so that the wire will be suliiciently taut to effectively cut the brick stream. Stop pins 25, 25 are arranged in the lower portion of each of the gates 4 so that, if the wire 24 should break, the action of the spring 21 in moving the lower arms of the bows toward each other will be limited by said arms each contacting with its adjacent stop pin 25, and the upper arms 22, 22 of the bows will also be correspondingly limited in their outward movement. As herein shown, these stop pins are so positioned that the upper arm 22 of each bow will, upon the breaking of the wire 24, be moved to and held in the proper position for engagement with a trip roll. At each side of the reel disks, a trip roll 2G is arranged on a stud 27 of an arm 23, which arm is carried by a rock shaft 29 journaled in a bearing 30 secured to the frame by bolts 31 and 32 passing through ears 33, 33. These rock shafts are mounted in the frames 10 and 11 at corresponding but opposite sides, and, as their functions are identical, the connections and operation of one rock shaft only will now be described.

To the inner end of the rock shaft 29 is a second arm 34 having in its outer portion a rod 35 (see Fig. 2) connecting said arm with a switch-operating lever 3G. Preferably the connection between the rod 35 and the lever 36 has provision for adjustment, as illustrated in Fig. 4, comprising a slot in the lever 3G in which the end of the rod 35 may be adjustably secured by a tightening nut 37. The lever 3G is keyed to a rock shaft 33 suitably journaled in the top portion of the sides of the cam path 7, on which shaft the switch 39 is rigidly secured, so that a downward movement of the lever 3G will correspondingly move the switch 39 downwardly until it contacts with the lower face of the cam path 7. This construction will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 4, wherein the lowered position of the switch is indicated in dotted lines. Should the wire 24 on any gate break while in engagement with the brick stream, the lower arms of each of the wire-carrying bows 19 will be moved inwardly by the contraction of the spring 21 until said arms are brought into engagement with their respective stop pins 25, thus holding the bows with their upper arms 22 outwardly in ay position to strike the trip rolls 26. By the continued rotation of the reel, the arm 22 of each bow is carried upward until in engagement with its adjacent trip roll 2G, and thereupon the continued rotation of the reel and the oir ward movement of the gate 4 and colisequently of the arm 22 will serve to move the rock shaft 29 and, through the connecting rod 25, will move the lever 3G, rock shaft 38, and the switch 39 downwardly into said cam path 7. T he movement of the switches 39, 39 in the cam paths will take place immediately in advance of the rolls G, G carrying the same gate 4 `whose arms 22, 22 have engaged with and moved the trip rolls 26, 26 on each side of the reel. It will be readily seen that this swinging of the switches 39 just in advance of the rolls 6 on a gate will switch said gate into the upper cam path 40 during the continued rotation of the reel. As a gate is moved upwardly into the cam path 40, it is stillvin engagement with the slots 5 of the reel, and is therefore continuously carried forward during the rotation of the reel. While in this upper lcam path 40, a new wire is placed on the bows, and the gate is afterward brought donwardly into the cam path 7, retaining its same relative position in the reel.

The operation of the switch-moving mechanism is so timed that the gate with a broken wire which is t0 be switched into the upper cam path trips the rolls 26 and moves the switches 39 just as the preceding gate has passed by and its rolls 6 are beyond the sections covered by the switches. In order to hold a switch 39 in its upper posi-` tion normally forming a portion of the top of the cam path 7 a contractile spring 41 is provided, which is attached at one end to a portion of the frame and at its other' end to an outer portion of the arm 36, said spring being of suflicient strength to hold the gate upwardly and to reposition the rock shaft 29 after the tripping roll 26 has been moved by contact with the bow of a gate to swing the switch as just explained. Preferably a stop pin 42ril is provided to limit the upward movement of the arm 36 caused by the action of the spring 41.

It will be seen kthat any wire-gate 4 may actuate the mechanism for swinging the switch downwardly, and that thereafter the gate 4 will be moved into the upper cam path 40, and the switch actuating means will be promptly restored to normal position in readiness to be again actuated by the next following gate having its wire 24 broken, whether such gate isr the one immediately following the gate just switched upwardly or any subsequent one. 1f the breaking of the wire 24 occurs either in the loop ends or intermediate4 said ends, the broken portions will drop off from the lugs 23 while they are in their downward position, and therefore, when the gate has been moved into the upper cam path 40 preparatory to the refilling operation, the wireholding lugs 23 and consequently the gate will be in proper condition to receive the new wire.

The wire replacing operation is performed while the gates are passing through the upper cam path 40, and will now be described.

Journaled in suitable brackets 42 secured at the top of the portions 10 and 11 of the frame is a shaft 43 having a beveled gear 44 in mesh with a corresponding gear 45, the latter gear being upon a shaft 46 suitably j ournaled in brackets 47 and 48 at one side of the frame work 10, as shown in F ig. 3. On the lower end of the shaft 46, a gear 49 is arranged to mesh with a beveled gear 50 which is keyed on the shaft 15 so that the shaft 43 is rotated therefrom. 0n the shaft 43 inside of the bearing brackets 42 are secured beveled gears 51 and 52 which mesh with corresponding beveled gears 53 and 54 upon short vertical shafts 55 and 56 (see F ig. 9), each of said vertical shafts being suitably j ournaled in a portion of the framework. At the lower end of each shaft 55 and 56 a flange 57 is formed, to which flange an annular frictional disk 58, which may be of leather, paper, or the like, is secured by means of suitable bolts 59`passing through holes in both the iange and the disk. Each friction disk is so positioned and is of such a diameter that it will engage the outwardly extending arm 22 of a bow 19 upon a wire-gate moving through the upper cam path 40, the purpose of this construction being to compress the arms 22 of a bow inwardly against the tension of its spring 21 and to hold this arm in proper position so that a new wire may be replaced on the stud 23 while said wire is not under tension of the spring 21. Preferably the arrangement of gears between the shafts 55 and 56 will be such that the periphery of each friction disk 58 will engage the upper arm 22 of the bow and move therewith at substantially the same speed while in presslng engagement. f

The upper cam paths 40 act to carry a wire-gate into such a position that the stud 23 of each bow will be brought into engagement with a loop in the end of a new wire, which wire is held in the path of movement of the studs 23at the lower end of a container or magazine 60. rPhis magazine is formed with two narrow slots or raceways 61, 61, each adapted to receive one of the looped ends of the wires contained therein, a portion of the magazine, filled with wires having the loops held vertically, being shown in section, considerably enlarged, in F ig. 7. Preferably the loop in the end of a wire 24 is somewhat larger than the wire-holding stud 23 on each bow, so that the stud may readily engage with a loop and, as the gate and consequently the bow and its wire-holding stud are moved on wardly, the looped end will automatically slip over the holder 23 and be removed from the raceway'61 of the magazine. To facilitate such removal and to eliminate the shock incident to the holder 23 striking against a wire loop, the magazine 60 is preferably mounted to swing on a pivot 62 in the upper part of the frame, the magazine being held in its normally vertical position by a spring 63, which spring is adjustably secured to a bracket bolted to the frame, as shown in Fig. 5. v

Fixed to the magazine near the lower opening of each raceway is a U-shaped member 64, suitably secured to the side of the magazine 60, which member carries an eccentric wheel 65 journaled between the outer arms of the U-shaped member 64, so that the wheel 65 is free to revolve in its bearings in the arms. Each eccentric wheel 65 has a slot normally in vertical alinement with its adjacent raceway 6l in which the wire loops are stacked, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6, the eccentric being of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of such wire loops. The lowest wire held in the magazine will rest in the slot of this eccentric wheel 65 with that part of the wire immediately adjacent the said loop resting on the toe 66 of an arm 67, which arm is secured to the lower end of the magazine. The eccentric wheel 65 is held in its normal posi* tion with the slot therein registering with the adjacent raeeway by means of the spring 68 attached to a short lever 69 tapped into a portion of the wheel, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Therefore, when the stud 23 of a bow carried by a gate strikes against the open loop of the lowest wire in the magazine, which loop is lightly held in the slot ot the wheel 65 and is resting only en the toe 66, the onward movement of the stud will partially rotate the eccentric wheel 65 against the tension of the spring 66 and slide said loop out of the slot so thatit will drop onto and over the stud 23. As the entire magazine 60 is pivotally mounted, it may swing forwardly practically in unison with the onward movement of the gate and the stud 23, thereby facilitating this automatic operation of drawing a new wire from the magazine and placing it onto the bows. The magazine is immediately returned to its normal position by the operation of the spring 63. rThe member 70 may be arranged in the lower portion of the magazine adjacent to the delivery opening of each raceway, as illus trated in Fig. 7, to assist in also guiding the wire loops onto the studs 23 in the automatic delivering operation just described. .lt will be understood that the action of the studs 23 on both bows of the samel gate in picking oil the opposite looped ends of the same wire are identical in time and operation.

Any suitable device may be employed to separate and hold the wires as they more downwardly through the raceways of the magazine, so that only one wire at a time may be dropped downward into the slot of the eccentric 65. The locking or separating device herein shown is arranged to be automatically actuated by a portion ot the bow 22 after it has passed the magazine and has been provided with a new wire. This device comprises a rock shaft 71 pivotally mounted in a lug 7 i2 ai'iiXed to the magazine and having one arm 7 3 extending into the path of movement of the bows 2Q, and a second arm 7st in slotted engagement with a pin 75, which pin is arranged to reciprocate in a horizontal hole through the lower portion of the magazine in a proper position to enable said pin to engage and hold the loop of a wire so that said loop will be free of engagement with the wheel As the wire-gate Il is moved onwardly in the reel after having taken a new wire from the magazine, the wire-holding bows carried by the gate strike against the lower portions of the arm 78, rocking said arms and the shaft 7l a sutlicient distance to actuate the arms 7l to withdraw the pins 75 from engagement with the wire loops in each end of the next wire in the magazine, allowing the wire loops to drop downwardly and then., as the arms 73 are of appropriate length to be instantly freed 'from contact with the bows, it is swung back into normal position by the action ot the spring 76, thereby moving the pin 75 backuraidly in time for it to engage and hold the succeeding loop of the following wire. The inner end of the pin 75 is preferably beveled in order to facilitate this catching and holding operation. This separating device is made to operate upon the wire loops in both raceways of the magazine in unison by having the rock shaft 71 extending across the magazine and carrying upon it the arms 73 and 74: of each separating device. The duplicate raceways of the magazine may be conveniently joined by means of the rock shaft 71 and the rods 77 and 78. As herein shown, each raceway has provision for adjustment to fit different diameters of wires, such provision comprising bearing screws 79, 79 and two tightening screws 80, 80, arranged in close proximity to each bearing screw, in

a well known manner.

lt will thus be seen that l have provided mechanism which is absolutely automatic in its operation of replacing the broken part of a machine with a new part. Also, it automatically replaces a part which has been removed, either accidentally or otherwise.

This replacing mechanism results, substantially, in automatically repairing the entire machine during its uninterrupted operation. leretoforc, such repairs have been made by hand and, oli course. necessitated the stopping ot the machine. lllhile the replacing mechanism is intended primarily to repair the machine by substituting` a new wire for a` broken wire during the continuous operation of the machine, it is equally useful in renewing all the cutting wires on the entire reel or in originally aliixing the cutting wires to the reel.

ating success' fely to cut a stream of brick A material into individual bricks, said machine comprising means to replace, automatically, a broken `ivire in the Wire cutting device during lcontinued operation of the machine.

A machine olf the class described, having a Wire cutting device to cut a stream of brick material into individual bricks, said `machine comprising means to replace, automatically, a broken cutting Wire in the cutting device While said Wire is normally outy ot engagement With the brick material during the continued operation or" said device.

4e. A machine of the class described, having a wire cutting device to cut a stream ol brick material into individual bricks, said machine comprising means to replace, automatically, a broken cutting Wire, in the cutting device said automatic replacing means being actuated by the breaking of a Wire.l

5. A machine of the class described, having a Wire cutting device to cuta stream of brick material into individual bricks, said machine comprising means to replace, automatically, a nen7 Wire in the cutting device for a Wire which has been removed therefrom, said replacing mechanism being actuated by the removal of a Wire.

.6. A machine of the class described, having a Wire cutting device to cut a stream of brick material into individual bricks, said machine comprising means to replace automatically, in the Wire device a nevv Wire during continuous cuttingoperation of said device on the brick material.

7. Ac machine of the class described, having` a Wire cutting device comprising a plurality of Wire cutters arranged to operate successively on a stream of brick material to cut said stream into individual bricks, in

combination with a magazine containing a supply of cutting Wires and automatic mechanism to transfer the cutting-Wiresv from said magazine to said device to replace any Wire broken during the continuous cutting operation of the machine.

8. A machine of the class described, having a plurality of wire cutters arranged to cut successively a stream of brick material.,

said machine comprisingl means to substitute, automatically, a Wlre for any one of said plurality of Wires when broken, said means being actuated independently by the breaking oi any Wire to be replaced.

9. ln a machine of the class described, a plurality of Wire-holding gates, a magazine containing Wires, and automatic means to transfer a vvire from the magazine to a Wireholding gate.

l0. in a machine of the class described, af

plurality of wire-holding gates, a magazine containing Wires, and means actuated by a wire-holding gate to transfer a Wire from said magazine to the gate during the continuous operation of the machine.

ll. ln a machine of the class described, a plum lity ot Wire-holding gates, a magazine containing reserve Wires, and automatic means to replace brokenwvire on a gate With a new Wire from the magazine, said replacing means being actuated by the breaking of the Wire on a gate.

l2. In a machine oi" the class described, a reel carrying a plurality of radially movable Wire-holdinggates, a magazine containing reserve wires, a cam path arranged to control the radial movement of each gate, a second cam path adjacent said magazine, means to move a gate from which the Wire has been removed, into the second cam path during the continuous operation of the machine, means to transfer a ivire from the magazine to said gate, and means to return the gate into the iirst mentioned cam path.

13. ln a machine of the class described, a reel carrying a plurality otradially movable wire-holdinggates, a. magazine containing reserve wires, a cam path arranged to control the radial movement of each gate, a second cam path adjacent said magazine, a switch automatically operated by a gate from which the Wire has been removed, to move said gate into the second cam path, and means to transfer a Wire from the magazine to the gate during the passage of said gate through the second cam path.

lll. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of radially movable Wire-holding gates, yielding means carried by each gate to hold the cutting Wire thereon under tension, a magazine to contain reserve Wires, means to transfer a Wire from the magazine tothe gate,-mechanism to counteract such Wire-holding tension during the Wire-transferring operation and to restore the tension on theiwireatter it is transferred onto the gate. l

15. ln a machine ol the class described, a

reel carrying a plurality of cutting Wires, a

gate carrying oppositely pivoted bows yieldingly connected, wire-holding studs on said bowsl arranged to hold opposite ends of a cutting wire, means to predetermine the movement ofeach bow upon the breaking of the cutting wire and means to place automatically a new wire on said bows after the breaking of a wire.

17. In a machine of the class described,`a reel carrying a plurality of radially movable gates, oppositely pivoted bows on each gate, said bows each having a wire-holding stud and an outwardly extending arm, a cam n path to control the radial movement of each gate, a second cam path normally closed, switches operable by said arms in their eX- treme outward position to move a gate into the second cam path, and means to close the second cam path after a gate has been switched into it, in combination with compressing means to move said arms inwardly while the gate is traversing the second cam path, lso that the looped ends of a wire may be delivered onto the studs. n

18. In ay machine of the class described, a reel lcarrying a plurality of cutting wires, a magazine containing reserve wires to be supplied to the reel, said magazine being normally out of operative contact with the reel, automatic means to move relatively the reel and said magazine into operative position,

and automatic mechanism to supply a wire from the magazine to the reel.

19. In a machine of the class described, a reel carrying a'plurality of radially movable wire-holding gates, a magazine containing reserve wires to be supplied to the gates, said magazine being normally out of operative contact with the gates, a cam path arranged to move a gate radially into operative contact with a wire held by said magazine, and means to automatically supply said wire to the gate.

20. In a machine of the class described, a reel having a plurality of wire-holding gates, a magazine containing reserve wires to be supplied to the gates, said magazine being normally out of operative contact with the gates, means operated by the breaking of a wire on a gate to move said gate and the magazine relatively into operative position, and automatic mechanism to supply a wire from the magazine to said gate.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RAYMOND C. PENFIELD.

Witnesses z H. B. CRUM, S. KENNETH SMART.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, '.D. C. 

